Volunteer Lowell Kent of Newark waits for golfers to tee off during the first round. "I enjoy golf," said Kent, who has been volunteering for 14 years. "I like being around it." (Photo: Lauren Petracca/@LaurenPetracca/)

Reese Pesarek, 5, of Baldwinsville, takes shade under an umbrella on hole 10. She was attending with her grandparents Joe and Lynette Pesarek of Palmyra. (Photo: TINA MACINTYRE-YEE @tyee23/staff photographer)

Looking down the 10th hole from the tee box an hour before the first players arrived early Thursday morning at Monroe Golf Club before the start of the 2014 Wegmans LPGA Championship. (Photo: Mark Dwyer)

Lisa McCloskey's score kept changing on Thursday. Up with a birdie. Down with a bogey. That happened nine times over her final 11 holes in the opening round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship.

But the fluctuation didn't faze McCloskey. The 23-year-old is pretty used to change. Growing up, she lived in five different countries — Colombia (where she was born), Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, Italy and the United States — because her father was a petroleum engineer.

"I think it's more mental confidence," the second-year pro out of USC said after shooting a 5-under 67, her low round in six career majors, which put her one shot off the lead. "I haven't played great these past two weeks, but the scoring is a lot better, and just being comfortable if I miss the green that I can get this up and down and kind of making birdie putts when they come to me."

She made four straight to close and eight on the day to offset three bogeys at Monroe Golf Club. McCloskey started on No. 10 and beginning with No. 17 made bogey or birdie the rest of the way. Her only pars were in the middle of her back nine on Nos. 4 and 5.

"I was just kind of in the moment and the putter was really working well," McCloskey said.

“I was just kind of in the moment and the putter was really working well.”

Lisa McCloskey on her four straight birdies to end her round

Even though she didn't miss a fairway, she hit only nine of 18 greens. But McCloskey needed only 22 putts. Her flat stick was on fire, especially late. She said those four birdies at the finish were on putts from inside of 15 feet, but certainly no gimmes.

It puts her in great position to make the cut for only the third time in six majors, and making the cut has been tougher this year than last. As a rookie, McCloskey missed out playing on the weekend in only six of 20 tournaments. This year, she has missed the cut in nine of 16.

But she's coming off her best showing of the year, a tie for 25th last week.

"I haven't been in this position really ever," McCloskey said about the foreign feeling of not flirting with the cut.

She has missed the cut in three of her five previous majors, but did post her best major finish at the LPGA Championship last year (tie for 62nd). She thinks the cut line affects her game more than it should.

"Kind of tenses me up," she said. "I can't play as free as I would like."

Video: How does Monroe compare to Locust Hill?

Reporters Sal Maiorana and Jeff DiVeronica break down what happened in Round 1 and look ahead to Round 2 and beyond.
Video by Donyelle Davis

That shouldn't be a problem on Friday afternoon. She tees off at 12:58 p.m. A resident of Houston now, she was torn between Colombia, her mother's homeland, and United Arab Emirates as her favorite place to live.

"I have a lot of my family (in Colombia) and I just love the people. They're so welcoming and friendly," she said. "At the same time, I love Abu Dhabi. It's so modern and so much to do, great beaches."